Dianne Reeves' 'Beautiful Life' Offers Musical Melting Pot

Dianne Reeves is extending her jazz style beyond the boundaries of pop, soul, and contemporary R&B with her new album, Beautiful Life, which skillfully blends modern jazz and soul with bossa nova and reggae music.

The four-time Grammy winner officially released Beautiful Life on February 14. It showcases 12 songs, which are engaging and emotionally volcanic. A good example is her interpretation of Bob Marley’s classic reggae anthem “Waiting In Vain.’

‘It’s one of his great songs. They all are,” Reeves explained in an interview with VOA. “But this one really, really speaks and my very dear friend (nylon-string guitarist) Romero Lubambo from Brazil arranged this particular song for me.”

‘He has his magic thing of reinterpreting things,” she added. “So, I loved it and that’s what we have featuring (singer) Lalah Hathaway.’